Is there a downside for being denied

[Beststash]

healthcare insurance coverage for an individual policy? My circumstances are that my past employer (retired) has cut healthcare benefits for my spouse. We still have access through my group plan but the cost has risen from $0 to over $600 per month in the last 4 years (her cost - total $874 per month). We were thinking that it might be beneficial to look into a HSA to save money. It looks like it would be a $2000-$3000 per year savings dollar savings if she qualifies - she (57) has a pre-existing condition (glaucoma). We don't expect the insurance company to approve her application but were wondering - is there a downside to being denied for individual insurance? We can always choose to insure through the group plan but were just looking to save some money.

Are the insurance companies "connected" in such a manner that they share information between themselves? If she were denied - would it affect any future efforts of decisions on healthcare? I just have a sneaky suspicion that it might b the case? I guess it could be paranoia - I get like that sometimes.